Can Your Mattress Kill You?

Many centuries ago people used to sleep on purely natural matter, starting with the earliest man who probably slept on an earth floor, comforted at best by plant material to help to cushion him against the hardness of the floor. Gradually progress was made in the sleeping department, and people slept on mattresses that were little more than hessian bags filled with straw or dried bracken. Still not the most comfortable, but better than the alternative of sleeping on the floor. In many parts of the Third World people still sleep on a rush or cane mat, often on concrete floors, even today. However, the wealthy wanted more comfort through the long nights, and so gradually the bags were made of smoother materials and filled with softer things such as feathers. Even these were improved upon for the seriously rich people, for they had theirs filled with down rather than any old feathers. Ultimately mattresses evolved to become what they are today, offering a wide range of coverings, firmness or softness, and fillings.

Over the last few years one type of mattress that has become hugely popular is the Memory Foam mattress. There have been many surveys conducted about the efficiency of these mattresses, and in almost every survey published by the manufacturers and retailers of these products, about 90% of those surveyed claimed that Memory Foam mattresses gave the best night's sleep that they had ever had.

However, one important factor that the manufacturers and retailers fail to mention about these products is that the foam is made from petroleum-based chemicals. So, if you have one of these mattresses you are sleeping on a potentially lethal mix of chemicals! Alarmist propaganda? Well, just read through the following and then judge for yourself.

Let's consider what the term polyurethane means first of all.

The term refers to any polymer made of organic units joined by urethane connections. By organic units you should understand hydrocarbons from the petroleum or derived chemicals.

Theoretically, a fully reacted polyurethane polymer should be chemically inert. But any chemist will tell you that even fully reacted polyurethane can produce dust inducing mechanical irritation to the eyes and lungs. And, as there are no industrial processes 100 % complete, you should expect the polyurethane to expel its chemical load. Only the resin blends can expel isocyanates, which were proven to be skin and respiratory sensitizers, causing asthma. This is just a short list of toxins found in an analyzed type of memory foam: TDI (Toluene Di-Isocyanate), Polyol (Poly Ether Gycol), Silicone Surfactant, Tertiary Amine, Stannous Octoate, Flame Retardant, Pigments/Dyes. TDI is an aromatic hydrocarbon (it is really smelly) causing asthma. Tertiary amines have strong odors and are allergenic. No need to comment on the dyes... You can read here how the "technology chemicals" can impact your health.

By using the material to make mattresses which people will spend a large portion of their life sleeping on means that those people will be repeatedly exposed for long periods of time to low levels of carcinogenic chemicals. Without doubt, the hydrocarbons evaporate and invade the bedroom, and the resultant chemical exposure can lead to severe damage of the immune and nervous systems. It has long been held that protracted exposure to petro-based products will worsen conditions such as arthritis, allergic asthma, lupus and similar disorders. Some research has detected extremely high levels of toxins such as arsenic and phosphor compounds in Memory Foam.

So, why am I so interested in this subject?

Well, the answer is simple. A couple of years ago in an attempt to get a better night's sleep for my wife and myself, I purchased a Memory Foam mattress which came highly recommended by the retailer concerned. It was certainly not a cheap option, costing us £1000, but we felt that if it performed as promised then it would be a worthwhile investment.

Almost immediately I had a problem with getting unbearably hot at night, so much so that we had to use a lightweight duvet even in the winter. We experienced aches and discomfort soon afterwards, and we soon questioned the wisdom of our purchase choice.

The next thing that shocked me somewhat was to discover that there was a large body-sized stain appearing on the mattress where I slept, and this despite a mattress protector and under-sheet. Even though the mattress was not supposed to be turned over due to the fact that the Memory Foam was on the top surface only, I did just that.

Over the period that we had the mattress, which was up to about four months ago, my asthma increased to previously untold levels, and my health in general deteriorated. About four months ago we had had enough, and so we went out and purchased a new bed and mattress which was made of natural materials. We also changed the carpet in the bedroom. I certainly would not recommend Memory foam to anyone, especially now that I have learned a little more about it.

The following is an extract from the Softpedia website where you can access and read the full report about this subject by clicking here.

What Is Memory Foam?

Polyurethane is synthetic and is made from petroleum products. Therefore, its production furthers our dependency on fossil fuel resources. The production of synthetics from petroleum products is energy-intensive and often generates toxic waste byproducts.

Polyurethane foam is not biodegradable, and it ends up in the landfill for a very long time.
The chemicals in new polyurethane foam outgas into the air. These toxic chemicals are called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, and you can often smell them until they dissipate. Most of the VOCs from polyurethane foam dissipate in several weeks to several months, depending on many variables, such as the types and amounts of synthetic materials; amount of fresh-air exchange in the room; temperature and humidity; and breathability of bedding materials like comforters and bedspreads.

All mattresses made with synthetic foams, batting, or fabrics must be treated with flame-retarding chemicals so that they meet the federal open-flame flammability test. Whether a mattress is made with standard polyurethane foam, memory foam, recycled polyurethane foam, Dacron, or even a combination of soy-based and polyurethane foams, there's no getting around the problem of flame retardants. Although bioaccumulative PBDEs, the most toxic flame-retardant chemicals, have been voluntarily discontinued by U.S. mattress manufacturers, the alternatives are only somewhat less toxic, and not considered acceptable by the German field of Bau-Biologie. (The measurable Bau-Biologie standards for health are perhaps the most stringent in the world.)

Flame-retardant chemicals in mattresses that contain any amount of polyurethane foam are called organophosphate chemicals. Unlike VOCs, these chemicals do not become gases, are not easily detectable by smell, and levels may increase over time as the materials age. Even though the levels are chronically low, since your body and face are on the mattress for a third of your life (during your most sensitive regenerative time), it might be best to consider a chemical-free alternative.